One of the most unreliable aspects of the game of golf is being able to consistently play the ball in its intended direction when putting. Mistakes in the swing of the putter head cause the ball to be "pulled" or "pushed", which deviates the travel of the ball from the intended putting direction.
Various methods have been utilized to obtain a more reliable putting stroke, as shown in the following U.S. Pat. Nos.:
1,561,349, issued November 10, 1925 to C. B. Murphy et al;
1,616,377, issued February 1, 1927 to B. Knight;
2,132,219, issued October 4, 1938 to J. Pirie;
3,170,690, issued February 23, 1965 to C. D. Goranson et al; and
3,188,086, issued June 8, 1965 to R. T. Parmley.
Each of the above listed patents show putters which can be swung about a specific point that is either a pivot at the top end of the grip of a putter or a pivot within the grip of a putter.
None of these patents, however, disclose a putter which is acceptable in the "Rules of Golf" as approved by the The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews, Scotland and The Royal Canadian Golf Association and United States Golf Association. The putters disclosed in these patents are, therefore, acceptable for practice or for "friendly" games but cannot be used in tournaments or official games. It should also be noted that the putters described in the above patents do not provide as much putting control as most golfers would prefer.
It is also known that there are golfers who need assistance in order to be able to putt correctly. For instance, there are blind or partially blind golfers who have difficulty in putting in the correct direction after being advised or guided to the position of a ball and the required stroke for the sinking of the ball. There are also golfers who cannot putt smoothly and accurately because of health problems such as nervous disorders. These people find it difficult to hold the putter or swing it smoothly without shaking.
It would be a great advantage to golfers if a putter were available which could be repeatedly guided with relative accuracy in a smooth swing. Furthermore, the usefulness of such a golf putter would be maximized if it were acceptable under the "Rules of Golf".